


Those we left behind

by LavenderTownSyndrome



Category: Pokemon GO
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 10:20:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8009866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LavenderTownSyndrome/pseuds/LavenderTownSyndrome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short story about Spark and Willow's past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Those we left behind

**Author's Note:**

> Believe it or not, this is a fic based on a dream... a very sad one! The name Ray and Claire were just made up for this story, although I think they fit quite nicely. Since English is not my native language, I apologize in advance for any mistakes you may find, but please bear with it. Should you find any errors, please notify them and I'll edit them as soon as I can. Thank you for reading my very first (and hopefully not the last) work!

«Here, I made some coffee.»

Claire leaned over Willow's back, trying to find a place where she could put the hot cup she had in her hands between the scattered papers that covered the chaotic desk; old books dangerously stacked in piles on the verge of collapsing over the expensive lab instruments. She frowned and sighed.

«Seriously. When was the last time you cleaned this place? I don't want even think what could be hidden under this chaos.»

«Fossil of a mysterious Pokémon found buried deep under the messy workstation of a world-renowned researcher!»

From across the lab, Ray's serious voice announced what sounded like the headline of a newspaper. He then burst into a laughter.

«HAHAHA! Now THAT would be an interesting discovery. We are sure to win an award with that, I tell you!»

«It's not messy! It's just well-ordered... in a different way. Well, you wouldn't understand the way I organize my stuff anyway.» Willow took the hot cup from the hands of his colleague without diverting his eyes from the paper he had in front of him. «Thanks.»

«Still these devices are quite expensive so you should handle them with care.» Claire turned to Ray and smiled. «And what's that world-renowned researcher thing? We are not so famous in the scientific community.»

«...not yet, my dear! But just wait until I finish working on this marvelous project of mine. It will completely change the very basics of Pokémon hunting!» He took a vial containing a yellowish, clear liquid from his desk and contentedly held it up over his head. «Behold my newest creation!»

Willow  tilted his head. «Ah, are you still working on that smelly concoction? Didn't you give up after the fourth time it failed? Or was it the fifth time?»

«Whoa... smelly concoction?!» Ray glared at him with disappointment. «With the right modifications this "smelly concoction", as you unfairly call it, will induce an hypnosis-like state in all nearby Pokémons within a 1 km radius and draw them toward the source of the smell. Can you imagine it? Every trainer will be able to encounter a Pokémon with little effort. No more running aimlessly in tall grass! No more spending hours searching! Sure, my previous experiments have not been successful as I hoped, and may have been the cause of some minor accidents...»

«"May"? I had to burn my coat since I couldn't get rid of that sour smell.»

Ray completely ignored him and continued, his eyes brimming with excitement. «...however it takes more than a few small failures to stop me. Should this be another blank draw, I will simply try again and again and again until I'm successful. More importantly...» He put the vial back on his desk and looked at Willow with a piercing gaze. «You are supposed to be my senior for crying out loud! You could show a little bit of interest and help me with my work once in a while...»

«Nope, not going to happen. You know I already have my fair share of work to do, since I am the lead researcher of this lab, and it is YOU who decided to work on that project. I'm providing you a place to work and all the instruments you need, but aside from that you are on your own. If you are not up to the task you chose, then it's your problem.»

That sudden outburst left Ray bewildered for a few seconds; almost on the verge of crying, he fell down on his knees and hugged Claire's legs, sinking his face in her lab coat.

«Claaaaaire!! Your cute little husband is being bullied by your boss!! Is he gonna fire me? Will he get rid of me? Won't I be able to work together with my sweetheart anymore? I don't want to leave this place!»

Claire was a bit puzzled by that reaction; she then laughed, took Ray's head between her hands and gently started stroking his hair. «My, my. You know he will never do something like that. Willow is just a bit stressed from work; don't let his words bother you.»

«...is it the truth?» Ray stared at his senior from behind her wife, his eyes begging for a positive answer. Willow felt uneasy seeing that.

«What are you, a baby?! Just act your age and get back to your work before I change my mind!»

Hearing those words, the young man got up on his legs, put his hands on his hips and proudly declared with a big smile on his face «I will never stop acting like a kid! Losing my childish attitude would mean losing my imagination, and without imagination I would never be able to create anything!»

«Besides, I really like that character of yours.» Claire added.

«Yup, this side of me is the reason such a beauty fell for me. So I'll never say goodbye to my inner child!»

«Oh, speaking of child» Claire leaned against the Willow's desk «let me remind you that next Saturday is Spark's birthday.»

«Yeah, right! And of course the birthday boy wants you to come celebrating with us, dear "Uncle Willy".»

Surprised, Willow glared at his colleague «Don't embarrass me with that name!»

«But you look so happy when Spark calls you that! Don't be so stiff.»

«He is right. You seem a completely different person when you are around him, Uncle Willy.»

«Not you too, Claire...» Willow closed his eyes and groaned. «You two are such a pain. I wonder why I agreed to let you work with me... I must have been drunk or something.» He pushed back his chair, stretched his arms up in the air and stood up. «I need a break. I'll go take some fresh air.»

«Ok. Then I guess I'll go back to work.» Ray turned back and walked toward his desk.

«Do you want me to help you with your task?» Claire asked.

«Thank you so much, my angel! I could use some help handling the mixtures. Ah, Willow!» He shouted at the man who was about to exit the building. «Do you mind if I take your burner? I need to heat up some vials.»

«Sure. It should still be in a slipcase somewhere under my table. Take it if you need it, I never use it anyway.»

«Ok thanks! And remember: smoking is bad for your health!»

«Yeah yeah, whatever.» He closed the door behind him and walked a few steps away from the entrance, approaching the fence that surrounded the lab where he worked; it was just an ordinary, small building near the outskirts of town, almost insignificant compared to the large structures that could be found in the city, but it was the very first place he owned after graduating from university two years before and he was proud to be the lead researcher of such a promising team, even though there were only three people, including him, working there. He looked up to the clear sky; despite the bright sun that was shining, the air was cold and refreshing. He felt relaxed.

«Maybe I was a bit too harsh.» Willow sighed and took the pack of cigarettes he had in his pocket. He put a cigarette between his lips and lit it. «Man, I feel a little bad for scolding him, but he will not work for me forever. I just know he can do it and if I help him this time he's sure to come back to me every time he has troubles with one of his projects.» He took a deep breath, letting his lungs fill with smoke. «Ray's right. I really should stop smoking.» He closed his eyes and took another breath of smoke. He watched as the plumes of smoke dissipated into the air.

«He is already 4, isn't he? I wonder what I should give him for his birthday. What kind of present he'd like more?» He smirked thinking of Spark's face; he had only met him the previous year, when Ray and Claire moved into town due to work, but he was already fond of the boy. How couldn't he be? The kid always had a smile on his face and his laugh would have melted even the coldest of the hearts. Spark was truly a fitting name for such a bright and energetic boy.

Ray and Claire were also very kind to him; since they moved close to his house and he lived alone, they were always at his place in their free time, helping him with the chores and work and letting him play with their kid. He was smiling thinking of how much he had changed the moment those three barged into his life. Ray, Claire and Spark always cared for him like no one ever did. They were almost like...

«...family.» That word just popped into his mind so unexpectedly that it astonished him. He laughed and threw the cigarette in a nearby ashtray. True, there wasn't any other word that could better describe them. He felt a bit stupid for taking so long to realize something that simple.

«Well, time to go back to work.» he said as he walked toward the front door of the lab.

He was just about to open the door when suddenly a loud noise pierced his eardrums. A heat wave hit his whole body and Willow was thrown backwards by the air pressure, falling heavily on his back. He felt pain running through his spine, and a pulsating ringing that made his ears buzz and his head heavy. He tried moving his body and stand up, but the shock and the pain made it impossible to move neither his legs nor his arms. He groaned as he slightly moved his head to face the building and see better what had happened. Little black spots appeared in his field of vision as his consciousness slowly fade away. The last thing he saw through the broken lens of his glasses was a dark, yellow smoke coming out from the shattered windows. Then his vision became blurred; he closed his eyes and fainted.

 

*

 

The silence was unbearable. It weighed on his whole body, heavier than a mountain, deeper than an ocean, darker than a moonless night. It seemed the world itself was grieving; not a single bird was flying in the sky and even the wind had stopped blowing.

Everything was stillness.

Everyone else had already left as soon as they started burying the coffins; but the two of them were still there, unable to move or speak. Willow looked at his side. Spark was firmly holding his leg with all the strength his little hand could muster. The once energetic kid who would make even the stubborn professor smile was now staring blankly at the tombstones in front of them, now only an empty shell of what he used to be. Since the day of the accident, Spark hadn't shed a tear nor spoken. All he did was follow the man wherever he went, never leaving his side. It was an heartbreaking sight.

Many thoughts crossed Willow's mind: if only he had listened to Claire, if only he had properly taken care of the lab equipment, if only he had helped Ray with his project... then maybe he would have noticed his burner had a broken gas pipe and now he wouldn't have to witness this scene.

After a long, endless minute, the professor kneeled down before the boy and looked straight up at his face. Spark turned slightly his head towards him and, for the first time since the fire, their eyes met. The man felt a sharp pain in his chest: the kid was pale as a ghost, his hollow eyes now a soulless mirror of the pain he was feeling.

Willow couldn't bear it any longer; he suddenly put his arms around Spark and hugged him. Everything will be fine, he whispered, more to convince himself than the boy, everything will be fine, I promise. Those words sounded empty and worthless, but he hoped they could make both of them feel better. In a few seconds, Spark started screaming from the top of his lungs and Willow felt the boy's heavy, warm tears falling down on his shoulder, wetting his jacket. That desperate cry broke the silence that had permeated the cemetery until then and the louder the kid screamed, the stronger the professor held him. He felt relieved that the boy was finally pushing out all the stress he had suppressed; he kept Spark close to him all the time, until he stopped crying and, exhausted, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Willow took his time, holding that fragile body into his arms. It was at that moment that he swore to himself to never let anything bad happen to the boy, to always help him reaching his goals and to never ever make him feel alone. In hindsight he would have realized that maybe he decided to do so just to relieve his guilt, but at the time he only thought about that child and how he wanted to see him smile again. Seeing his little hands firmly holding onto his shirt gave him a sense of happiness he never felt before; he was now the only one in the world who could take care of that boy, he would have never let him go.

He left the graveyard with the boy sound asleep in his arms. A gentle breeze had started blowing, ruffling his hair; from far away, he could hear birds chirping.


End file.
